TikTok is used for silly, comedic videos, but also as a place to discuss important social issues
TikTok users raise concerns over rampant censorship
Written by Ruby Moir
TikTok was once home of lip-syncing 13-year-olds and bedroom choreographers but has quickly become a powerhouse social media platform. Its content draws more active worldwide users than Twitter and Snapchat combined and was the fourth most downloaded app in 2019.
Also last year, over a quarter of British 18 to 24-year-olds regularly used TikTok. Its primary user base is Gen Z, and the app is often used as a platform to discuss topics like politics, disability, gender identity, sexuality, and mental health for many young people.
Behind the scenes however, TikTok’s internal moderation policy and ties to the Chinese government have raised concerns about censorship.
TikTok first launched in mainland China as 抖音 (Dǒuyīn) in 2016 and launched worldwide following its merger with Musical.ly in 2018. The app is owned by Chinese tech company Bytedance who also own the Chinese social network “WeChat which has ties to the Chinese government.
Official TikTok content moderation documents, leaked to The Intercept in March 2020, show that the app’s internal content moderators were instructed to ban content made by users with “low quality” features such as “abnormal body shape,” “ugly facial look,” and “facial deformities.”
Content moderators were also instructed to supress content where “the shooting environment is shabby and dilapidated” or backgrounds with “cracks on the wall” and “old and disreputable decorations.”
Posts that were found to have any of these “undesirable” attributes were shadow banned, meaning hidden from users’ For You page or appearing when searching hashtags.
TikTok’s For You page works in much the same way as the Instagram explore page: an algorithm curates a feed of content based on accounts you follow and posts you interact with through likes and comments. Shadow banned content is deprioritised in TikTok’s algorithm, meaning it would never appear on your For You page no matter how many like or comments it gets.
TikTok’s deliberate policy of hiding “undesirable” content works to actively censor its userbase. These documents validate users’ long held suspicions that content about LGBTQ+ rights, disability, activism, and political commentary were being hidden from users or removed for the app entirely.
The most worrying allegation against TikTok is that it supresses political content critical of the Chinese government and its interests and allies. The leaked moderation documents show moderation guidelines for live video broadcasts that ban any “controversial content.”
A report from the ASPI International Cyber Policy Centre, a cybersecurity thinktank based in Australia, found that “the very nature of TikTok’s targeted global censorship isn’t apolitical; in fact, it makes the app a politically powerful actor.”
The report also found that LGBTQ+ related hashtags were “banned in at least eight languages,” along with other political hashtags from around the world including:
- #acab – “all cops are bastards…”
- #путинвор – “Putin Is A Thief” in Russian
- #Jokowi – nickname for Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia
- #GayArab – English
- #гей – “Gay” in Russian
- #يلثم_سنجلا” –Gay” in Arabic
- #ялесбиянка – “I am a lesbian” in Russian
- #ягей – “I am gay” in Russian
- #gei – “Gay” in Estonian
- #gej – “Gay” in Bosnian
- #สมเด ็จพระเจ้าล ูกเธอเจ้าฟ ้าส ิร ิวัณณวร ีนาร ีร ัตนราชกัญญา – #Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya in Thai
- #กษ ัตร ิย์ม ีไว้ทำ ไม – “Why Do We Need A King” in Thai
- #ไม ่ร ับปร ิญญาจากสถาบ ันกษ ัตร ิย์ – “I won’t graduate with the monarchy” in Thai
- #لوحتملا يسنج” – Transgender” in Arabic
- #لوحتلا_يسنجلا” – Transgender/transitioning” in Arabic”
Moderators are also instructed to ban content that risks spilling politically sensitive information such as “violent enforcement processes of military or police.”
The censoring of content in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement has received a lot of attention from users in recent months. TikTok users reported that during the BLM and Police Brutality protests, the popular hashtags #blacklivesmatter and #GeorgeFloyd were removed from the platform and did not appear when searched.
By TikTok’s own estimates, videos using these hashtags received up to two million views. TikTok maintains that the removal of this content was due to a “technical error.” No other hashtags seem to have been affected by the supposed glitch.
TikTok US general manager, Vanessa Pappas, explained in a statement: “Last week a technical glitch made it temporarily appear as if posts uploaded using #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd would receive zero views.” No references were made regarding censorship allegations.
While TikTok has admitted that LGBTQ+ content is banned and removed in certain languages, English speaking users have alleged that LGBTQ+ content in English is being removed.
One transgender user in Scotland, who does not what to be identified, claimed that three of their videos discussing their transition were removed from the platform due to community guidelines on “adult content.” The videos in question discussed the user’s experiences with hormone replacement therapy. They were eventually able to reupload the video.
Jeff Ingold from Stonewall, an LGBTQ+ rights charity, said: “Trans people are seriously under-represented on television and in film, so digital channels like YouTube and TikTok can help fill this voice by providing a much-needed platform.
“Removing content from trans people sends a damaging message as young trans people often look online for support and community.”
TikTok has said in a statement: “TikTok is an inclusive space for positive and creative expression. We categorically do not remove any content on the basis of expression of gender identity.
“At TikTok, creating a positive experience for people is at the heart of everything we do. Our community guidelines exist to protect users against harm and to foster an environment where people of all backgrounds feel safe, supported, and empowered to share and create.” They categorically deny any allegations of censorship.
Image Credit: Tik Tok US, NBC News, The Economist
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